Three sustainable switches we make in our interior design
When it comes to making a property more sustainable, whether it’s a historic listed building or a modern home, there are a multitude of differences you can make inside and out. The interior architecture can be altered, and technology can be introduced that reduce a property’s carbon footprint, make it more eco-friendly, and be most cost-effective in the long run. See our journal article here on how we’re making our historic properties more sustainable. However, if you’re not aiming to make drastic changes to the bones of a property, there are ways we’re also making our historic properties more sustainable in their design. This means making careful choices in which furnishings, décor, furniture and more to ensure your home is cleaner and greener for you and the planet, all while being in keeping with the tone of the property and without having to worry about planning permissions.
At Woolf Interior Design and Interior Architecture, all the projects we start, we send our Woolf Green Approach document, which outlines the options the client might want to think about to make their property more eco-friendly. But here are a few of the ways we make our interior design projects more sustainable, with a few simple switches:
We used vintage and repurposed pieces in our Gasholders project, breathing new life into pre-loved furniture and decor.
Going vintage and going local
Buying pre-loved furniture has become more popular in recent years, due to the sustainable nature of choosing vintage over mass-produced furniture. We use resources like 1stDibs and locally made bespoke pieces to reduce the amount of mass-produced pieces in our projects, which is not only more sustainable, but also creates a more unique, tailor-made space. We have used entirely vintage and refurnished furniture in several of our projects now, including the iconic Gasholders project. While we’ve used UK-based suppliers for bespoke furniture and joinery for many years, which is showcased in projects like Little Boltons. Furthermore, we aim to continue preserving historic furniture we use, and as lighting is the main issue in historic buildings while trying to preserve what’s inside, we often use window films which prevent UV light entering. This in turn leads to preservation of the original windows, sustainable cooling, and heating inside and better protection from the sun’s rays.
We chose to use local and UK-based suppliers for bespoke joinery for our Little Boltons project to ensure it’s as sustainable as possible.
None-toxic paints
Something often overlooked is the toxicity, damage and pollution paint can do over time in a property. At Woolf, we always try to use eco-friendly, low-toxic paint in our projects, like Edward Bulmer, a brand which specialises in plant-based paints. An increasing variety of safe and chemical-free products are available, from organic, hypoallergenic paint to fibres and woods that haven't been treated with pesticides. Not only has it been shown that passive inhalation of toxic chemical are prime suspects of health conditions (such as allergies and asthma), but microporous paint such as Edward Bulmer paint, is ‘breathable’, meaning it lets natural moisture in the walls flow through without damaging the building. Both aspects are especially important in period properties and hospitality settings which is why we utilised none-toxic paints in our Poundon House project.
We chose to use non-toxic, ethical paints for Poundon House, to ensure there will be no long-term health issues in a period property, and are equally beneficial to the environment.
Switch out the carpets
A frequently overlooked opportunity to become more eco-friendly is choosing the right rugs and carpets. One of the biggest landfills is carpets, surprisingly, so we try to use carpets that are as natural as possible to limit toxic materials and dyes, like using wool, jute and cotton which are fully biodegradable. Even some natural dyes can be toxic however, so it’s important to use a professional who knows about the differences like a professional interior designer. Companies like Axminster don’t use oils like most high-street carpet brands and are sustainably sourced from the UK. It’s comforting to see that many companies, such as Axminster, are now looking to narrow down where they source their wool from to keep it as local as possible, reducing carbon footprints and supporting local farmers. Similarly, as rugs are often imported from exotic places, each time a piece is imported its carbon footprint skyrockets so we like to go local where possible. See our Little Boltons project for examples of where we used consciously sourced rugs.
Sustainable rugs that are ethically sourced and made of natural materials cut down on the carbon footprint of the design, as seen here in the Little Boltons project by WOOLF.
Just these three simple switches to a more sustainable way of designing your interior can dramatically change the carbon footprint of a property and design. It goes to show that without dramatic architectural changes, we can take steps towards more eco-friendly interior design without compromising beauty or functionality.
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